Critique my first baby back ribs.

Sounds like a good start and welcome to the forum.

First, you need to verify at what temp you were smoking, was it 225 as you set it?

Dry is tough to define? Is it dry because it's overcooked? Dry because it's thin in one part and thick in the rest? Dry because that piece doesn't have any fat?

Normally they won't come out dry if you foil them, usually they're more fall off the bone. By dry, were they just way overcooked and more "tear apart" and dry or something else? Fall off the bone is just overcooked, means the meat is cooked to the point that it gets tender. The challenge is to get them there, but not to keep going and they dry out.

Every time you open the door you'll extend the time.

For me, and I think you'll get this way too, is to get them to tug off the bone. Where you can slice them (hard to slice fall off the bone) but you can slice them and they hold their shape.


For me, I don't like to rub overnight if the rub has salt. I just don't like the effect/taste it gives. I do mine one hour prior. I'm not sure if the CS rubs have any salt or MSG?

To determine when the ribs are done, try Smokin's toothpick test. Run a toothpick through the thickest meat. If it slides in and out like butter, they're done. If you feel resistance, let them cook for another 30 minutes and test again. For baby backs or loin backs, start testing after 3.5 hrs. For spares, start testing 5-5.5 hrs.

The experienced folks shoot for pull off the bone vs fall off the bone which means the ribs are overcooked. If you're smothering the ribs with sauce, then fall off works. If you're eating them dry (with just the rub) or with just minimal sauce, then pull off will have more moisture.

I think they were dry becaus ethey were way over cooked. Yes they were "tear apart". Just didn't expect that outcome since they were so juicy prior to foiling. I'm really looking for fall off the bone, even though not considered ideal by some.

Couple questions:
Would I get better "repeatable" results by pre-heating my smoker?
At what point would you reccomend foiling them since I'm looking for "fall off the bone"?
Am I right by trimming off excess fat?
I was told to select baby backs by them having mostly meat, not too much fat. True?

Thanks,
Jay

I'm thinking if they were WAY overcooked, they would fall off the bone,period!

I don't preheat my smoker and Smokin' has taught me that I don't need foil to get fall off the bone ribs, if that's the way you like them. I will use it to rest them in a towel or cooler for a short period of time.

I personally like the idea of having some fat to render, seems to me that helps with the moisture problem. With that said, I will trim some of the extra fat before smoking them, along with taking the membrane off the back.

Patience will be needed when using a CS to do ribs and knowing what the temp is at the spot of cooking.

I understand what you're saying Cal, but these ribs were tough and dry. If you grabbed 2 rib bones, it was pretty hard to get them to "tear apart". There was no "pulling apart.

Jay

quote:

Originally posted by jayleto:
I understand what you're saying Cal, but these ribs were tough and dry. If you grabbed 2 rib bones, it was pretty hard to get them to "tear apart". There was no "pulling apart.

Jay

My last BB notes: remove membrane, apply rub, put in cold smoker w/2oz wood, set CS to 225*, check at 5hrs with toothpick, took out at 5.5hrs, glazed on gas grill, tent w/foil and rest 10 minutes, devour.

Everytime you open the door you dump moisture and heat causing the heating element to come on long enough to recover the lost heat. I like to open the door once to check for done-ness and to add a little bark. I don't use foil in the CS.

BB's do not have as much connective tissue as Spare Ribs, and less internal fat. I have never cooked a 2.5 lb Baby Back rack for more than 4 hours as they are usually done at 3.5 hours or less at 250 degrees, so I can only guess that you really over cooked those bad boys. You can cook decent Baby Backs on a grill in an hour! You should also remove the back membrane prior to smoking.

I remove the back membrane and never trim the fat figuring it adds moisture. Your ribs may have come from one of those real old sows Tom talks about, and they were going to be tough no matter how you cooked them.

Give it another go. Don't open the door so much. Toothpick test. Lifting the ribs slightly should tell you if they are ready to fall off the bone.

Dryness can be a lot of things, thin ribs, overcooked, little fat in that pig. Sometimes it happens. I see it more in small BB's though.

quote:

Originally posted by jayleto:
Couple questions:
Would I get better "repeatable" results by pre-heating my smoker?

Not really. The smoker is so well insulated, that it probably takes the same amount of time each time to get going. Key is to do what you did, weight them and take good notes. Some like to preheat, but you don't want to waste too much of the smoke you get and you will when you open the door. You could try it and see if you like it that way. No absolute answer.

quote:

At what point would you reccomend foiling them since I'm looking for "fall off the bone"?

You're new. I forgive you the foil question (don't ask, FOIL is a four letter #$@$ to me LOL.

Here's my problem with foil. Yes, for a lot of people it works but for ME? it's that you can't tell how long to do it or when they're done.

If I had to, I'd smoke them 2 hour, foil one hour, take them out at 3 and test. If you leave them in foil until done, you'll never have an easy way to test them for doneness (with a toothpick).

quote:

Am I right by trimming off excess fat?

The only fat I trim on ribs is on the ends where you sometimes get a large amount on TOP of the end bone or two, but unless it's a HUGE chunk, don't trim. But you don't need a lot of visual fat to get good ribs.

quote:

I was told to select baby backs by them having mostly meat, not too much fat. True?

I don't know about that, haven't really tested. Me? I think BB are way overpriced because of the hype. I like spares for a better price and for more meat to bone ratio. But you should be able to cook whatever you want successfully.

Key for me is that BB have less me. Period. And when you're talking 2 and down (2 pounds and down) you're talking thin and little meat. They will dry out if you're not careful. When you buy, look for straight bones if you can, look at the ends and try to get a consistent thickness if you can.

And practice and keep good notes. You'll get some good info here but you still have to practice.

get two racks. Do two slightly different methods and see which you like. You're the one who will determine if you like them.

Oh, and take the membrane on the back, that wasn't the tough part was it?

One more thing. Photos. Take some photos next time and show us, I can tell a lot from those.

You don't have to post them up, just email them to me directly for posting (my email is in my profile).

Russ

jayleto - my .02 cents

My guess is that the dryness was a result of three things:
1. Over night rub. CS rubs are pretty salty. Salt will draw out moisture. Next time around apply the rub and hour, two at the most, prior to smoking.

2. Foiling. As SmokinOkie points out, foiling can be a slippery slope in terms of determining correct doneness. I'd suggest not foiling ribs until you're satisfied with your (unfoiled) ribs. If and when you do foil, add some moisture to the foil pack. This can be any combination of the following: apple juice, honey, margarine, BBQ sauce, brown sugar. Arrange on the bottom of a foil pack and lay the ribs meat side down and wrap VERY THIGHTLY.
Air pockets in the foil pack will produce steam and the steam will force moisture OUT of the meat. Foiled ribs are best cooked meat side down. Keep in mind, an hour in foil is equal to 1.5 - 2 hrs of cooking time compared to non foiled cooking.

3. Overcooking. BB's in the 2.0 -2.5 # range should be toothpick tender around the 4 hr mark assuming 225 o. To add the "falling off the bone" tweak, try painting them with sauce, wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap and hold them in an insulated chest for 30 + minutes.

Hope that helps...sorry to be long winded

Thanks for all the help.

Question for you MaxQue--

I'm going to try what you say on the next batch I'm cooking tomorrow. No foil, and wrapping them with plastic wrap around 4hrs with sauce.

One quick question. Is that just normal saran wrap? Seems like it would melt. I'm cooking for the christmas party at work, and don't want to mess this up.

Thank,
Jay

Home saran wrap and restaurant wrap have different HIGH points. I don't use the home stuff anymore. The restaurant stuff is fine, but if you get it over 300 for too long it will melt and disappear.

Just keep the home stuff low and slow and that should work.

Plastic wrap, max, I first foil, now plastic wrap... I'll let you give the advice from here out.

Just to clarify a few points...

I use 18" institutional plastic wrap. Any of the food club brands will do fine but my preference is Purity Wrap, which has a serrated metal cutting edge vs those silly plastic slide & roll cutting bars.

Smokin, I never knew about the different melt points....good call!

Good luck Jay. Holler bak if ya have any questions.

Once the ribs are painted and wrapped, they go into FTC mode, or the fridge... never back to direct heat.

quote:

Originally posted by MaxQue:
...
Smokin, I never knew about the different melt points....good call!

Don't ASK how I know. It wasn't pretty. I think it has to do with the actual thickness of the plastic

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
The restaurant stuff is fine, but if you get it over 300 for too long it will melt and disappear.

That can't be good.

Thanks so much for the help. I'll be cooking these on Wednesday now, and I have 8 slabs waiting to be rubbed.

Couple more quick questions:

1) The first batch I did was 8 racks, and I used 1.5 chunks of cookshack hickory wood. The wood flavor was spot on. Possibly a hair strong, but I loved it. The batch tomorrow will be 8 racks, so do I go up on the wood? The size of my backs are 2.8-3.0lbs, so I'm thinking 4.5 hrs at 225*? Then paint with sauce and saran wrap for 30 min in a insulated chest? Then serve, correct?

Thanks,
Jay

Smoke taste is personal, but I wouldn't change the amount, if it was me cooking them. I'm not real sure on times, I tend to use Smokins' toothpick test at 3hrs and decide what needs done...ie, maybe rotate shelfs with that many racks and decide which racks will be done first.

Oh, I would like to thank Bacchus2b on teaching me to cook my LBs at 250*, I've come to like this temp.

If you're going to paint with sauce, I'd throw them back into the smoker unwrapped for 10 minutes or so to set the sauce. Pull them and serve. I'm with Cal in doing the ribs at 250*. I'd toothpick check them at 3.5-4 hrs to see if they're ready for painting.

UPDATE!

I cooked the ribs for our Christmas work party, and they were absolutely awesome. Here's what I did:

8 slabs of BB ribs 2.8-3.0lbs. Membrane removed
Rubbed with CS pork and chicken rub 1 hr before cooking
Placed cold ribs in cold smoker and set temp to 225 with 2 chunks CS Hickory
Checked at 5 hrs and were Perfect! No resistance with toothpick test.
Painted with Sweet Baby Ray's, and put in foil container for 20 min to rest.
Everybody at work LOVED the ribs. Huge success. I think next time I'll put a good bit more rub on. They lacked a little flavor before they were sauced. The wood flabor was perfect.


One thing I did notice was how low the temp stayed on my SMO50.. I had my digital thermometer on the top rack, and after 1hr it was only 167*, At the 2 hr mark it was only 189*. I then cranked the temp setting to 250, and it slowly made it's way above 200 to 225. Is this normal? I know there was alot of food in the smoker.

Thanks,
Jay

quote:

Originally posted by jayleto:
...One thing I did notice was how low the temp stayed on my SMO50.. I had my digital thermometer on the top rack, and after 1hr it was only 167*, At the 2 hr mark it was only 189*. I then cranked the temp setting to 250, and it slowly made it's way above 200 to 225. Is this normal? I know there was alot of food in the smoker.

Thanks,
Jay

It should get to/near the temp you set it.

The amount of food ONCE it gets up to temp doesn't affect the ability to hold the temp. It might take a little longer to get up to temp, but it should get to that temp.

Have you tested it empty to see how it does for temp? How about your therm, have you tested it?